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For effective communication to take place, there should be active listening, clarity in speaking, and no barriers in communication. Because communication is a two-way process, the speaker should make sure the message is understood by the audience. A message is effectively delivered when an individual from the audience asks questions.

An extraneous speech will confuse the listeners about what the speaker wants to convey. Also, the speaker determines if the message is suitable for the target audience. The choice of words can be a barrier to communication as it can hurt or infuriate individuals of a certain race or gender. They may take the meaning differently, opposite of what was intended by the speaker.

Another barrier to communication is the noise and distractive sights in the venue. A company that hires a motivational speaker should make sure the venue is conducive to learning and will help focus on the speaker’s message.

1. Motivational Speaking As A Skill

Motivational speaking is not a job, but a skill or talent that enables the speaker to persuade, teach, or suggest effectively; hence, the word motivational. The audience should be able to apply what is learned in terms of occupational safety or in problem-solving in regard to personal and societal issues.

In a pep talk, a motivational speaker helps the employees see hope in the future and encourages them to work better for the company. An individual who has the experience, expertise, and knowledge related to a subject can be a motivational speaker. With the aim to motivate people, a speaker may not know the science behind motivation or even the psychology and neuroscience involved in memory retention and in learning.

2. The Science Behind Motivation

People are motivated to act or behave accordingly if they know that they shall reap rewards as a result of their efforts. There are parts of the brain that are involved with the reward and punishment system. One of them is the ventral striatum in which encoded is the expectation of an incentive.

The ventral striatum recruits the part of the caudate nucleus to participate in the action to fulfill a cognitive or physical task. When the nerve cells in the caudate nucleus are activated, the person is motivated to perform a task.

In regard to motivation, there are various theories that encompass it. It is not just the desire to get a medal or trophy that motivates an individual to achieve a task. It may be a competition, with a prize, to further drive him to fulfill a task.

The intrinsic motivators refer to one’s desire to grow or to learn something new for career advancement. These are considered to be the long-lasting motivators.

Other theories suggest that the basic needs of man can also be motivators. If someone is financially lacking, it motivates him to work. Others suggest that a previous emotional or physical trauma and experience discourages someone to repeat the previous activity.

Conflicts in the environment and within one’s self can kill motivation. Conflicts are a source of stress that some people want to avoid. Success and failure can make someone repeat or stop a certain behavior or action in fulfilling a task.

Goal-setting is another aspect of motivation. There are people who are easily discouraged from fulfilling a task to achieve goals when they see an obstacle or a threat in achieving a goal. On the other hand, there are some who stay motivated even if they know they have to face difficulties before they can achieve a goal. Giving up and holding on are within the scope of emotional quotient.

Having a high intelligence quotient does not mean one is motivated to study for further improvement. If a person gets easily frustrated or disappointed when he does not see any improvement, he may give up on the task or goal. It may be said that he has a low emotional quotient.

The motivational speakers can make a persuasive speech because his emotion about a subject is strong enough. His emotion is contagious for the audience to feel the same strong emotion. Emotion strongly affects motivation that a speaker who uses the power of gestures, facial expressions, and words to emphasize a point can effectively deliver it to the audience. It is up to the audience to apply what is learned from the speech.